Let Us Give Thanks
by Rassilon001
Summary: [X-Men Anime] Following the events of Japan, the X-Men return to the Xavier Institute to celebrate a heartwarming holiday of food, friends and family. With more than a few familiar faces dropping by to join in the meal Hisako's cooked.


**Disclaimer:  
><span>**I do not own Marvel Anime, X-Men, or any of its characters contained therein. They all belong to Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, and Madhouse.

**Summary:  
><span>**Following the events of Japan, the X-Men return to the Xavier Institute to celebrate a heartwarming holiday of food, friends and family. With more than a few familiar faces dropping by to join in the meal. Obviously, takes place after the events of the Marvel Anime. Rated PG for family themes.

* * *

><p>Halloween had come and gone. By now, spiderwebs and macabre decorations like bats and witches had been pulled down and stored away for another year. Pumpkins long since gutted and rotted from within were being tossed out and cleaned off the sidewalks as another celebrated American holiday came around, catching some completely by surprise.<p>

For Thanksgiving was here.

The main gates of the Xavier Institute opened, and moments later a sleek black van headed up the driveway to park. It's side door slid open, and out spilled Scott and Logan, burdened as they were by a number of grocery bags. By contrast, slender Emma barely had a case of wine under her arm as she followed, taking time to close the door and lock the car behind them.

"You two quite sure you're alright there?" she asked, unable to keep just a hint of a teasing tone out of her voice.

Behind his sunglasses, Scott rolled his eyes. "We're fine, Emma. Just go ahead and warn Hisako we've got everything she wanted."

"Everything?" Emma asked, as they stepped inside the mansion.

Outside the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, the early winter air kept things wonderfully cool, as many brightly colored leaves of red, gold, brown and orange rustled in the breeze. Inside, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, the mansion was comfortably warm. A fire had been lit in the fireplace, but it was just for show. Helped to add atmosphere to festivities, however.

"Triple-checked the list," Logan replied, reaching into the topmost bag and producing a length of paper covered in kanji. Thank goodness Logan knew how to read Japanese. Emma's talent lay more in speaking it and Scott couldn't even claim that much.

The two X-Men set their bags on the kitchen countertop. Only then did Logan let out a sigh, and only a brief one at that, giving an indication of just how cumbersome the burden had been. Scott did likewise, immediately going to work to shelve everything away in the fridge and the pantry, especially since a lot of it was perishable.

"I'll go let our chef know everything's in order," Emma said, holding open the fridge door as she added her wine to cool, then slipping out of the room graceful as a swan.

"I'm gonna go catch the game," Logan said, tugging a beer loose from a six-pack and leaving the rest on the counter. "See you later, Cyke."

"Logan, wait, hey... I need... I could... use a hand here," he finished weakly, even as everyone departed. Sighing, Scott continued to unpack the food and beverages, leaving the ingredients for Hisako on the countertop. All in all, there was enough food to feed a small army platoon.

Armor was going to have her work cut out for her.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day crawled by at a reasonably sedated pace. Hank was finishing up a teleconference with one of his fellow colleagues, one Professor James Patronette, a fellow scientist in the growing field of mutant evolution. Logan found himself on the couch in the living room, watching the ball game. Scott and Emma were with him for a while, but they soon found the sport tedious and predictable and left for other venues. Charles and Yui were in his office, updating some medical files. Though the Sasaki Institute was officially shut down its revenue and its patients had been attached to the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters in case further developments occurred in the northern region of Japan.<p>

Ororo and Hisako were in the kitchen, working on the big meal.

"... and cook to 350 degrees," Hisako read aloud, adjusting the oven temperature and taking a peek at its contents. Inside, the warm air quickly became actively hot to bake the turkey. "In forty-five minutes we baste, so..." she adjusted the nearby timer and set about to another task.

While still picking up logistics and teamwork, Hisako was not only a full-qualified for field missions X-Man, but also an absolute diva in the kitchen. She could juggle multiple foods and cooking methods as easily as a circus performer could juggle balls. Ororo was mildly impressed. If things didn't work out for her as Armor, she'd do wonders on an Iron Chef-esque reality show.

Maybe they could call it Adamantium Chef. Logan would love it.

As if thinking of him had called up the devil himself, Logan made his way into the kitchen, deftly dodging Ororo as she rummaged through the fridge for some green beans. An adamantium claw slid out to skewer an apple as the much feared Wolverine grabbed himself a snack.

"Try not to spoil your appetite, Logan! I guarantee you'll want to make sure you save room!" Hisako called out to him, even as she diced up some carrots.

"And I guarantee you I can _take_ anything you can _bake_!" he replied with a jaunty salute as he exited the kitchen.

"Just be sure you can handle anything I can _dish_ _out_!" Hisako added, determined to have the last word. A roar of laughter erupted from the Wolverine as he made his way out, which she counted as a victory. The Japanese junior X-Man went back to happily dicing her carrots, moving with a speed and grace that left them in perfectly neat little fragments, yet spared her any sort of injury to her fingers. Clearly, she'd had quite a lot of practice with this sort of thing. Scott poked his head into the kitchen a short while later to check on dinner preparations.

"How long until dinner?"

"I'd say we're just about set to get working on the big stuff. Two hours? Maybe two and a half? Oh, and I meant to ask about tomorrow. We've got Black Friday plans lined up, so that'll keep us plenty busy so do you mind if we borrow the car? It's smaller and easier to park than the van."

"Are you sure you don't want to return home to visit your parents for the holidays? I'd be more than happy to offer you a ride in the Blackbird," Scott offered.

"I'd almost swear you were just trying to get rid of me," Hisako retorted with a playful smirk. "It's fine, really. Mom and Dad are going to be visiting my grandparents in Hokkaido, it's more time for them to be with their family. And I'll see them again for New Years. I just need a little time to myself."

"And with us," added Ororo.

"Oh yeah! Pass me the salt please, Ororo?"

The junior X-Man added just a dash of iodized salt to the potatoes, mashing them up with great vigor.

Returning to her original question, Scott reluctantly decided he couldn't think of a good enough reason to say no. "I guess it's fine if you want to use my car," Scott said. "Just... make sure Emma drives alright?"

Hisako was still fiercely irked she wasn't yet allowed to fly the Blackbird, or drive much of anything else the X-Men had at their disposal. Still, she took Cyclops' critique of her driving skills maturely.

By maturely tugged down one eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the X-Men's field leader. He took that as a good sign to cut his losses and retreat, or else he'd be drafted next to help out with their Friday plans.

The doorbell suddenly rang out, a merry chime echoing through the halls of the mansion.

"Now who could that be?" Hisako asked, glancing up curiously. "I thought everyone was already here."

Ororo just gave an enigmatic smile. "Professor X sent out a few invitations to some old friends..."

* * *

><p>Being closest, Logan got to the door first, and opened it up to see who their guest was, though he already had an inkling thanks to the scent. Seeing who was on the other side only confirmed exactly what he'd thought. But then again, not many he knew had an underlying scent of sulfur.<p>

"Wolverine!" greeted the incredible Nightcrawler, extending his three-fingered hand to clasp Logan's firmly, giving a hearty shake. "It has been too long meine friend. You must have quite the stories to tell, ja?"

He hadn't changed.

If anything he looked in better condition than when he'd left the team nearly two years ago to pursue his solo career in Europe. Kurt cut quite the dashing figure, the body of an acrobat, the face of a movie star, even if he was covered head to toe in blue fur just like hank was, and his ears carried a slight point. Today he was dressed in a very fine polo shirt and slacks, with a heavy overcoat and a fedora pulled down low to hide his unique features from casual view. He went barefoot as he was wont to, given the unique structure of his feet you could hardly blame him.

"You could say that," Logan remarked. "Good to see you again, Kurt. How's life in Europe?"

Kurt doffed his hat, tossing it onto a nearby statue bust with an expert flick of his wrist. "Has its ups and downs. Oh, and I almost forgot, you'll never believe who I ran into at the airport and shared a taxi cab with..." he said as he reached over and held open the door.

A young man and women stepped out onto the driveway as a yellow taxi went speeding off, making their way up the Xavier Institute. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, with auburn hair parted by a streak of white, and the man could only have been a decade older than her at the very oldest, with prematurely steel-gray hair and an easy-going smile. She was wearing a green dress with long sleeves, and a very elegant white scarf draped around her neck. By contrast, his outfit was simple and unassuming, a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt.

Her name was Anna Marie Darkholme, though most knew her only as the fearsome Rogue.

And he was Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin, the unyielding Colossus.

Both former X-Men and welcome guests of the Institute, especially on this sort of occasion. The former was dragging along a rolling case behind her while the latter had a pair of suitcases propped up on his shoulders. All three looked ready to burst wide open, stuffed to the brim as they were.

"Did you bring enough sundries?" Kurt asked lightly, amused by the sheer volume of luggage. Rogue simply glared in his direction.

Logan felt a need to step in. "Unlike you, they're staying the night. Not all of us can just pop back to the airport within the blink of an eye."

"Ja, that's true."

"Kid tells us dinner should be ready in about an hour. Was just about to sit down and finish the game," Logan said. "Why not come join?"

"Danke, I think I will. You are a Stallions fan?"

Logan smirked. "What gave me away?"

The blue mutant just chose to laugh at that one. He trailed off as he spotted Hisako wandering past, balancing a number of fine china plates and good silverware in her arms and doing her very best not to drop them.

"Ahh, and this must be the new blood I was told about. Armor, is it?"

She declined to shake hands, but this was because hers were full. "Nice to meet you. Logan, can you give me a hand with the plates?" Hisako asked politely. "I'm gonna need-..."

**_BAMF._**

"What in the-?!"

**_BAMF._**

In two quick ports, Kurt had picked up her heavy burden, dropped it off in the dining room, and returned. Only then did he offer his hand to shake the stunned Hisako. Having long since gotten used to Hank's appearance, however, Hisako took Kurt's hand in hers and shook firmly.

"Kurt Vaugner," he introduced himself.

"Hisako, to my friends," she replied.

A wide grin spread across the blue elf's face, pleased she'd passed the little test. "I hope I can count myself amongst them. In the Munich Circus..."

Another ding-dong of the doorbell interrupted him, and Kurt snaked out his long tail to turn the handle and draw the door open, revealing another guest. One who'd evidently not arrived by taxi either. This new man didn't look much older than thirty, and he wore his bright blonde hair neatly combed back. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue, his cheeks strong, his chin and nose delicate without being overly feminine. Overall handsome, almost angelic features. Marred only by the fact that his skin tone was a most startling shade of azure.

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute," Hisako greeted politely with a tip of her head, stopping just short of a full bow. "Mister...?"

"Warren Worthington the Third, at your service," he said, politely doffing his cap. "I don't believe we've met."

"Hisako," she replied, hands clasping in front of herself. "Hisako Ichiki. I'm new here."

"You're one of the X-Men?"

"She most certainly is," agreed Hank, stepping into the foyar. "Best we've had in a while, in fact."

"Junior member," she added modestly. "Codename Armor."

"Hmmm, congratulations. It's not easy to make the cut," he said as he shrugged off his coat, revealing a pair of metallic wings emerging from the back of his custom tailored suit. Accepting the article of clothing, Hank hung Archangel's coat in the hall closet, while Warren made his way deeper into the mansion to greet Xavier.

"Blue sure is a popular color with mutants," Hisako remarked aloud. Then, realizing how close Beast was standing, hastily added, "But you all pull it off really well though."

He gave a hearty laugh at that, showing his canines. "It is a tad odd, isn't it? I never have been able to isolate just why that is. I'm sure there's a basis in science somewhere. But I'd have to agree, it's an excellent color to be burdened with if we have any say in the matter," he added as they made their way through the living room.

"I'll second that," Kurt added, catching the tail end of their conversation. "And for our part, meine friend, the fur coat comes in handy during the winter months."

"It does at that," Hank agreed.

Hisako couldn't quite contain a short burst of laughter, but it was all in good spirits, so neither of her blue-furred companions paid it any mind. Hank continued on to the library. Checking the grandfather clock in the hall, Hisako saw she had a few moments before her next round of cooking had to start, so she leaned against the couch armrest to watch the game that had so enwrapped the attention of Logan and Kurt. She arrived just in time for a touchdown, and was treated to the delightful vision of Kurt whooping for joy, all but doing a backflip out of his seat, while Logan was cursing up a storm, only refraining himself from anything truly vulgar because Hisako was in the room still.

_He really has no idea_, she thought. She'd heard worse curses uttered back at school.

Still, she . Eventually, he even stopped, though he kept muttering at the screen for the coach, players, and referees to stop collectively screwing around. Sentiment echoed by Marie and Piotr as they found themselves seats with good views of the television. Warren and Hank found their way to the living room as well. Eventually, even Professor Xavier and Yui came rolling in to enjoy the warm camaraderie of the living room, if not the actual sport being watched on television.

"Has anyone seen Scott or Emma?" Yui asked, noticing an absence in their gathering.

Ororo flicked her eyes up towards the roof, but didn't say a thing.

* * *

><p>The topmost level of the Xavier Mansion included an open terrace just in front of the reading room, or second library. This is where Scott and Emma were to be found, admiring the sun setting on the horizon as they stood a distance that could be consider a little closer than friends but not quite as intimate as lovers.<p>

"I love this time of day," Scott remarked, watching a gust of breeze go past, making the leaves flutter to and fro as if dancing. "Time of year too," he added.

Emma didn't say anything for a while, she was content to sit in silence and watch the sun set on the horizon. However, that remark brought a question to mind she'd had teasing the back of her subconscious for a while now.

"Do you see in color, Scott?" she asked, mildly curious. "Or is it all just a red haze for you?"

"Funny you should ask. I can make out colors, but... it's harder to differentiate subtle ones when everything has a red tint to it. But my vision gets most clear when there's absolutely nothing in the way of it. So only when I'm shooting off an optic blast."

Recalling some of the enemies they'd fought, she felt compelled to say something. "Not a very pretty sight then."

"Not really, no. But I can make out you pretty well."

"Oh?" she sat up sligtly, straightening her back at his remark.

"You favor white," he explained. "It's an easy color to make out even through ruby quartz."

"Are you saying I'm easy on the eyes?"

He rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, but decided to blunder into the trap he knew about rather than timidly shy away from it. "Yes, Emma, I'm saying you're beautiful. Like you've never heard that before."

"Mmm, but that's the first time _you've_ ever said something like that..." the blonde telepath replied with a smirk. "Out loud, that is."

He grimaced, but it was almost familiar, this sort of light-hearted teasing. Jean had made similar remarks during their time together, reading his surface thoughts the way normal people read expressions, taking a humorous delight in keeping him off-guard and open despite his efforts to keep his composure. No matter how hard he tried, Scott Summers could discipline his body, keep his mouth shut, even keep his expression steady, but he simply could not keep his thoughts under control any more than the next man.

If anything, Emma was worse to deal with because of how he felt about her.

In that, he had no idea _how _to feel about her. First she'd been another enemy, a sort of pragmatic view that she needed to be defeated but no strong feelings either way about her personally. Then there was that stint where he'd been positive she'd been to blame for Jean's death. She'd catalyzed as an outlet for all the rage he felt for himself, not being strong enough to save her. Then she became an ally in Japan, and a good one. He could honestly say now he trusted Emma to have his back as much as Ororo or Hisako.

But about her personally... he just didn't know.

Thankfully, she never violated his innermost thoughts without invitation, and even then rarely without a truly good reason to do so. And she often let some of his inner musings go without comment either, despite the fact that he knew she heard them.

_And I can't be honest with her if I can't be honest with myself_, he thought.

"You don't have to," she said aloud. Instantly realizing her gaff, she winced. "Sorry, you were... projecting again. I didn't mean..."

"It's okay," he cut her off gently. "I don't mind. Really. You know the worst of it already... you've seen it all before. I guess... I guess I don't mind the idea of you inside my head as I used to."

"I have seen the worst, as you say," Emma replied, taking his hands in hers. "Even so... I'd like a chance to see the best of Scott Summers. If that's alright with you?"

"Of course, I'm thankful for your help," he squeezed her pale hands in his, brushing his thumbs against the back of her palms. "And, well... I suppose in the spirit of the holiday... I'm not entirely ashamed to admit this I'm... I'm also thankful for having such good friends to help me out. Even when, and sometimes especially when, I'm not willing to admit I need help."

Emma smiled, flashing pearly white teeth, and then leaned in, tugging gently on his hands, coaxing Scott to do the same. Their eyes closed as their foreheads met gently, and he heard her voice echo in his mind.

_You're not alone in regard. I'm grateful as well. And so you know, my mind is always open for you, Scott Summers. _For a telepath to communicate this way, when already so close and perfectly capable of using their mouths, this could be as intimate as whispering right into someone's ear. The sun had long gone down, but neither of them were watching the horizon anymore. In a way though, they were looking forward to an even brighter future.

* * *

><p>Finally, the time had come for dinner to be served.<p>

A final ding from the timer alerted Hisako to her turkey still in the oven. Putting on some mitts and opening it up, she pulled out the gorgeous hunk of meat triumphantly, setting it on the countertop. Seasoning and sweltering heats had transformer the pale pink bird into a worthy golden brown roast that looked positively mouthwatering to behold.

Ororo was already carrying in some of the other dining plates and serving bowls with their delicious contents, while Hisako was rummaging through the drawers for one final item that needed her attention.

"I can't quite seem to find a suitable carving knife..."

**_Snickt._**

"Allow me, kid," Logan said, taking a few quick slices. Adamantium being what it was, and his claws as sharp as they were, he made quick work of the turkey, carving it up into so much sliced meat in mere moments. Smiling ruefully, Hisako took the time to de-bone some of the slabs before placing tray and carrying it into the dining room.

"Not bad. A few more years and you might make a decent gourmet chef," she remarked.

He snorted at that.

"Oh hey, Logan, any plans for tomorrow?" Hisako asked as she slipped past, carrying the plate of turkey in her hands. "Emma and I were gonna go to the mall. We've been making a few plans for Black Friday tomorrow. How do you feel about joining us?"

_That'd make quite a sight_, Logan thought. With his adamantium skeletal and regenerative powers he could weather just about anything crazy shoppers could throw at him, and that went doubly so for a diamond-coated Emma and an Armor-ed up Hisako. He pitied the poor soul who tried to keep them from getting what they were shopping for. And as it happens, he did have his eye on a few things that were on sale tomorrow in the local Army Surplus store.

"Sure, why not? Should be a hell of a good time."

"Great! We'll wake you at four then, okay? Wanna get good parking after all. I wanted to ask Kurt to come along as well but he said he's got plans tomorrow."

"Oh really? Do tell."

The junior X-Man proceeded to do just that, effortlessly stepping around the other diners and leaning over the middle of the dining room table to place her turkey meat in its appropriate position in the very center. The crowning masterpiece of the meal. It was quite the spread. Succulent turkey, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, steaming vegetables, even sweet cranberry sauce. As well as plenty of cider and even some red wine brought up from the cellar for the occasion. Everything that any good, hungry American could possibly want for Thanksgiving was spread out over the table, ready to be devoured.

By now everyone was filing into the dining room. Kurt and Hank had set up some cards so everyone could find their appropriate seating. Naturally, Charles sat at the head of the table. Scott was equally naturally on his right, while Ororo sat to his left. Past Scott was Emma, and past her was Warren. On the opposite side, Kurt sat beside Ororo, and on his left was Hisako. The remainder of the mutants were set up along the length of the table, with Yui at the opposite end rounding them off rather nicely.

Once everyone had settled into their spots, Professor Xavier picked up his spoon and tapped it against his glass to get their attention. Instantly all conversation at the table ceased.

"Hank, if you would do the honors?" Charles asked.

Adjusting his seating, the great furry mutant nodded. "But of course. If everyone would bow their heads?"

Everyone at the table did so, some clasping their hands in their laps or before them on the table, if not in genuine prayer than at least in respectful silence. The gathered diners held a variety of faiths, but one thing they all agreed on was respecting others as much as holding their own.

"Good friends we are gathered here today on this most auspicious of occasions, to give thanks for all the things we are most grateful for. Prominently amongst those, good food, good friends, good family. May we be blessed as we continue to treasure those things not only today but ever onward into the bright future ahead. Amen."

"Amen," murmured most of the others.

That might have been the signal for the meal to begin, but Professor Xavier again politely interrupted with a spoon tapped against his glass.

Raising up his glass, he proposed a toast. "And let us be grateful that this holiday meant to celebrate togetherness and family has helped to bring mutants and non-mutants together as well," he added. Across the table from him (as well as the only non-mutant present) Yui politely lifted her glass up as well, smiling softly.

"Hear, hear," Hank agreed, raising up his glass too. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Most of the others at the table followed suit, and the air rang with the gentle clash of glass against glass, before settling back into the comfortable murmur of passing plates and dishes. Hisako had indeed made enough for a small army, and no one was able to say no to her delicious cooking for long, everyone tried to sample each and every dish as it came around.

"Make sure you all save room for dessert," Hirako remarked between mouthfuls of dark meat. "Pumpkin pie is just waiting to be served."

A collection of groans greeted this, for unlike the young lady from Japan, who was still growing into her adult figure, most of the other X-Men were not blessed with such an excellent metabolism, and were rapidly becoming stuffed. Even so, once the main dish had finished everyone at least tried a slice, and were not disappointed in the results.

In the end, everyone went to bed happy and content, with a belly full of food and a heart full of warm feelings. What more could you ask for?

* * *

><p><strong><span>Authors Notes:<br>**_I'd_ ask for a second season, but I'm just thankful that Marvel Anime gave us X-Men to begin with, because it was awesome. Especially Armor.

Please leave a review if you enjoyed. And have a Happy Thanksgiving!


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